Mattress



M. DUBICK Oct. 1, 1946.

MATTRESS Filed Aug. 9, 1943 [nae/2Z0, Michael Dubick a, Lip W 644a: fair/ eys- Patented a. 1, 1946 .Michael Dubick, Chicago, 111., assignor to The Englander Company, Inc., Chicago, 111., a cornotation of Delaware Application August 9, 1943, Serial Fla-497,912

4 Claims.

The invention relates to mattresses and moreyparticularl-y to mattresses which are filled orstuffed with cotton felt or the like. 'Hereto fore in mattresses of this character, the tendency of the-cotton felt filling to shift its position within the outside cover and to pack-down particularly along the marginalportions of the-mattressv has materially decreased the effectiveness thereof as a comfortable support. 7 An object of the inventionis to provide in a mattress of this character new and improved means for holding the filling against shifting and for resilientlystrengthening or reenforcing the marginal portions of the mattress against breaking or'packing down.

More specifically stated, another object of the invention is to provide in a mattress of this character new and improved means for overcoming the difilcultiesabove mentioned which includes acentrally or intermediately located sheet of fabric or the like secured to the border fabric and parallelingkthe upper and lower surfaces of the structure which sheet coacts with resilient rolls of confined cotton felt or the like secured within the border fabric :on opposite sides of the intermediate sheet to extend along the junctures between the intermediate sheet and the border fabric.

v Other objects and advantages will become ap parent from the following description and from theaccompanying drawing in which Figure l is a fragmentary view in perspective of a mattress embodying the features of the invention, one corner thereof being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale illustrating the internal construction of .the mattress.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawing and will herein describe in detail, the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

The present invention is illustrated as being embodied in a mattress which is generally conventional as far as its external form and appearance are concerned. Referring to Fig. 1, the present mattress embodies upper and lower cover members or sheets l0 and H marginally joined by a border member l2 to provide an enclosure 2 for a filling or stufling 13 of cotton felt. or the like. Tufting devices 13a of suitable form are regularly dispersed over the surfaces provided by the cover members and tend to hold the filling in place.

In spiteof the holding effect of the imiting devices the cotton felt filling (and this is true as well of other fillings sometimes employed) tends to shift its position in use and to pack down, both-of which factors in time destroy the original form of the mattress. This development is particularly noticeable throughout the marginal areas of the mattress where the weight of a per son sitting on the edge of a-bed is concentrated.

-Acc0rdin-g to the present invention, shifting and packing down of the mattress filling is subfing material, such as of cotton felt or the like,

enclosed within fabric sheaths t6, the rolls being dimensioned to fill the mattress from cover to cover along the inner face'of the border. I

The construction and assembly of the intermediate sheet M and the rolls I5 is best shown in Fig. 2. The border memberl-Z includes an in ner layer'or thickness of padding l! secured thereto as by lines of stitching Id. The intermediate sheet [4 is folded double, as at I9, and is secured through this doubled fold to the border I2 substantially intermediate the side edges thereof by a line of stitching 20.

The sheaths IE on the upper and lower sides of the intermediate sheet I4 are formed by a single piece of fabric which, having an intermediate or central portion, indicated at 2|, extends along the inner face of the border between the folds [9 of the intermediate sheet l4 and the padding IT. The line of stitching 20, consequently, also secures the intermediate portion 2| of the sheath fabric to the border. Elongated strips of cotton felt [5 are then placed in what may be considered the corners formed by the intermediate sheet [4 and the intermediate portion 2| of the sheath fabric I6 and both free portions of the sheath fabric are carried about the strips IE to form them into compacted rolls which are jointly secured to the intermediate heet M by a single, common line of stitching 22,

By this simple, novel and efiective method the rolls and the intermediate sheet may be formed and secured in place quickly and inexpensively.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the present invention provides an intermediate member [4 which divides the filling into upper and lower halves, thereby minimizing the tendency of the filling to shift throughout the portions of the mattress spaced inwardly from the margin or border. The effectiveness of the tufting devices in preventing such shifting is thereby materially increased. The intermediate sheet formed of a non-stretchable fabric which, in effect, ties the opposite borders together and prevents the intermediate portions of the borders from spreading or bulging outwardly. At the marginal portions of the mattress the compacted rolls have a resilient, spring-like effect exerted at the precise part of the mattress most subject to abuse.

It appears that these rolls in cooperation with the intermediate sheet I4 exert resilient forces in a lateral direction which tend to increase the supporting and cushioning effect of the entire mattress and also to return the border portion of the mattress to its original, substantially straight condition. Thus, when the weight of a body is resting on an intermediate portion of the mattress, the upper surface IE will yield inwardly to a considerable degree with the intermediate sheet 14 and the lower surface I! yields in the same direction to somewhat lesser degrees. Such movements exert a laterally inward pull on the border, transmitted in turn to the resilient rolls which tends to move the rolls inwardly and to compress them. It will be noted that the forces acting on the rolls will be derived in large measure from the intermediate layer l4 whereby both rolls are subjected to substantially the same forces and will coact in returning the border l2 to its original position when the weight supported by the mattress is removed. Accordingly, the rolls have the effect of springs which not only reenforce the border portions of the mattress against the break down and packing effect of a Weight bearing directly thereon, but provide a lateral resiliency acting to preserve the original substantially straight condition of the border.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a mattress, the combination of spaced cover members, a border member secured to said cover members and extending therebetween, -an intermediate sheet dimensioned to extend through the mattress between and substantially parallel- 4 to said cover members, a pair of elongated rolls extending lengthwise along the inner surface of said border member at opposite sides of said sheet, and means for securing said rolls and said intermediate sheet jointly to said border member.

2. In a mattress, the combination with spaced sheets forming the top and bottom sides of a mattress, and a border member extending between said spaced sheets and of an intermediate sheet extending through the mattress substantially parallel to said spaced sheets, a pair of rolls extending along the inner surface of said border member, each of said rolls including a fabric sheath, means for securing said rolls and said intermediate sheet together, and means for securing said rolls and said intermediate sheet to said border member.

3. In a mattress, the combination of spaced cover members, a border member secured to said cover members and extending therebetween, an intermediate sheet dimensioned to extend through the mattress between and substantially parallel to said cover members, a fabric sheet dimensioned to extend along the inner surface of said border member throughout the perimeter of said mattress, means for securing said intermediate sheet marginally and also said fabric sheet between its side edges to said border member with marginal side portions of said fabric sheet located respectively at opposite sides of said intermediate sheet, an elongated roll of compressible material located between said intermediate sheet and each side portion of said fabric sheet, each of said rolls.

being encased in the portion of the fabric sheet associated therewith, and means for securing both side margins of said fabric sheet to said interture between said cover members, a pair of fabric encased rolls of mattress filling material extending along the inner surface of said border member and attached to said border member and said intermediate sheet, each of said rolls substantially occupying the space between one of said.

cover members and said intermediate sheet, and other filling material inwardly of said rolls in the spaces between said cover members and said intermediate sheet.

MICHAEL DUBICK. 

